From Enemies to Expecting(35)

Trinity shot him a look. “Get up on the wrong side of the bed? Or maybe in the wrong bed entirely? I told you to stay. You were the one who insisted on propriety and left.”

Because he’d had to. Sleeping in the same bed with her put a stamp of permanence on this association that he couldn’t afford. Not as far as the outside world was concerned; it was already too late for that. But in his mind. They were a real couple now, for better or worse, and he wasn’t sorry they’d taken things to the next level. But it was temporarily real.

He couldn’t forget that. Sleeping with her, wrapped up in each other all night long, would be a mistake.

Instead of letting the unsettled restlessness in his chest take over his mood, he lifted her hand from the table and kissed her palm. “My publicist is happy with the results as well. Act like you’re enjoying yourself. There’s a slew of photographers across the way.”

She peered in the direction of his subtle head jerk from the corner of her eye to where a crowd of people lined the lobby, visible over the low wall separating the restaurant from the rest of the ground floor. “They’re here early. And I don’t have to act like I’m having fun with you. I just do.”

Really? He eyed her. “You’re in Oakland, California, at a hotel eating crappy breakfast food, and I’m about to make you watch a baseball game that you don’t want to sit through. You should have higher standards.”

Her smile heated him so fast, his vision grayed. “It’s what will happen after the game that’s keeping my spirits up.”

And now he was thinking about that, too. He’d been trying not to, because they hadn’t really established any morning-after rules, like how frequently they’d take their relationship behind closed doors. Given that they’d be doing deliberate on-camera work today as well, maybe she’d want a break. What did he know about what went on in her head?

“The endless interviews and postgame strategy sessions?” he commented. “Yeah, that’ll be a blast for you.”

She’d agreed to do the whole nine yards’ worth of press junkets in hopes of getting some extra exposure, which had seemed necessary at the time but now felt excessive given that they were already burning up the internet with their presex activities in the hall.

“You’re so sweet to worry about me.” Her hand was still in his, and she thumbed his knuckle almost affectionately. “But I can amuse myself. All I have to do is think about how much it’ll be killing you to stand next to me, knowing that I’m completely naked under this dress.”

Hot coffee scalded his throat as he choked on it.

Clearly nowhere nearly as concerned as she should be—since his inability to breathe or swallow was her fault—she arched a brow. “Are you okay?”

“What do you think?” he growled. “Are you really commando? Like, one hundred percent?”

She nodded with a sly smile. “And I plan to sit really close to you during the game. Maybe there will be a table that might cover a wandering hand or two?”

That dress took on a whole new definition of shock value—and now he definitely wanted to cover her up. With his naked body.

Going commando under a simple dress should definitely be a morning-after rule. He just couldn’t decide if the rule should state never or always.

Trinity chatted some more about strategy and photo ops while drinking her coffee and refusing to eat anything, a female tendency he could never understand. The team had already left for the stadium so they could get started on their pregame rituals. Ballplayers were a superstitious lot, and you couldn’t pry their customs from their cold, dead fingers. They always ate at the ballpark, mostly so Gordon could watch the players like a hawk, but also because hotel food sucked.

Normally, he’d be with them, angsting alongside the coaches. But instead of doing his job, Logan was still at the hotel, listening to his fake girlfriend–slash–real lover talk about how great it was that this partnership was paying off.

“Fyra was featured in a cosmetic review on Allure’s website,” she gushed. “And it was so positive that our northeast distribution warehouse is out of stock of Bahama Sunset eye shadow and the mascara they mentioned. They panned us last time, claiming the products they tried were overpriced. Like anyone cares about value when it comes to whether your mascara clumps or not.”

“Uh-huh.” Her lips moved constantly and he couldn’t help but think about how quiet she got when it counted. When talking wasn’t necessary because they were communicating perfectly with their bodies.

He wasn’t done with his fantasies, that was for sure. And for the first time in his life, he resented the fact that he couldn’t just watch a baseball game with a gorgeous woman and then take her back to his room for some postgame activities. Maybe he could cut things shorter than normal. He was already making concessions by not being on the field at this moment.